The present invention relates to a watertight seal made between the interface of a sink and the laminate counter which it is mounted underneath. It provides both an aesthetically pleasing alternative to conventional undermounted sinks and also provides a much user friendly and dimensionally precise method of on-site installation.
The countertop industry has seen a shift from the standard laminate countertops with top mount stainless steel (or other material) sinks to solid surface countertops with undermount stainless steel, porcelain or polymer sinks. Under counter mount sinks are more desirable than top mount sinks because there is no lip on top of the counter to catch debris and stain. Further they prevent the continuous wiping of the counter into the sink. Man made and natural solid surface countertops lend themselves better to under counter mount sinks than do laminate countertops because of their solid construction. When water contacts the sides of a laminate countertop the glued wood particle makeup absorbs water, swells and eventually deteriorates and crumbles away. The point of failure (where this water substrate contact occurs) in the prior art generally occurs at interface at the bottom edge of the laminate and the sink seal. In top mounted sinks the water can seep under the sink top flange and the laminate and run down between the sink and the particle board substrate. Thus solid surface countertops have dominated the market where under counter mounted sinks are desired.
The solution for the laminate countertop is to have a seal that prevents the deterioration of the laminate substrate by preventing water from ever contacting it. Of course it must also be aesthetically pleasing.
Henceforth, a visually appealing sealing interface between an undermount sink and a laminate countertop would fulfill a long felt need in the building industry. This new invention utilizes and combines known and new technologies in a unique and novel configuration to overcome the aforementioned problems and accomplish this.